叙利亚一处古尖塔在冲突中被毁The minaret of one of Syria's most famous mosques has been destroyed during clashes in the northern city of Aleppo.叙利亚一座最著名的清真寺内的尖塔在冲突中被毁，该清真寺位于 北部城市阿勒波。Pictures show the once famous landmark reduced to a pile of rubble The state news agency Sana accused rebels of blowing up the 11th-Century minaret of the Umayyad Mosque. However, activists say the minaret was hit by Syrian army tank fire. The mosque, which is a Unesco world heritage site, has been in rebel hands since earlier this year but the area around it is still contested. Last October Unesco appealed for the protection of the site, which it described as "one of the most beautiful mosques in the Muslim world". Images posted on the internet showe d the minaret reduced to a pile of rubble in the mosque's tiled（平铺的） courtyard. Other parts of the mosque complex - which dates mostly from the 12th Century - have been badly damaged by gunfire and shell hits. A report by Sana said fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra group had destroyed the once famous landmark. It quoted an official source saying that "terrorists... placed explosive materials in the minaret and the mosque's southern door and set them off". However, Aleppo-based activist Mohammed al-Khatib, quoted by AP news agency, said a tank shell had "totally destroyed" the 45m (148ft) minaret. The mosque has suffered extensive damage during months of fighting, with antique furnishings and intricately（杂乱地） sculpted colonnades affected. Reports say some ancient artefacts（人工制品） have also been looted, including a box purported to contain a strand of the Prophet Muhammad's hair. However, rebels said they had salvaged ancient handwritten Koranic manuscripts and hidden them.
